Love Aches For Every One of Us
by Izumi's Apprentice
Summary: Kara brings Cat home to officially meet her foster mother and show her around Midvale. Hearing about an old school friend of Kara's gives Cat the wrong impression and tensions ensue. Supercat


Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl nor "Love Is" by Brian McKnight whose lyric I borrowed for the title.

Author's Notes: I wrote this for the AO3 2018 Christmas in July Supercat Exhchange and forgot to upload it here. It was a gift for onehellagaykid and the prompt was "Pre-relationship or new relationship, Cat and Kara take a trip to Midvale. Cat gets jealous of an old flame and they have to work it out."

Love Aches for Every One of Us

"I want you to meet Eliza," at Cat's skeptical look, Kara elaborates, "Officially. Now that we're dating." She worries her lip between her teeth as she watches Cat through her eyelashes. For being taller than the other woman, Kara had a knack for curling herself up into smaller forms and appearing like a skittish, stray pet.

"Trying to follow procedure? How noble and classy of you," Cat murmured, taking a few steps closer to Kara to place a hand on her cheek. "Sure. Midvale, right? Let's go." Kara's face instantly lights up and she turns her head, kissing the inside of Cat's wrist.

A few weeks later is the earliest they can get away from National City ensuring it was properly managed, both on the CatCo front and the alien protection front. Being gone for a long weekend shouldn't be a big deal on the Supergirl side of things, but should things get out of hand, J'onn offered to step in for Kara so she could have this respite. Not to mention Alex was staying behind with the D.E.O. knowing how important this visit was to Kara.

The drive to Midvale isn't long and Cat even offers to drive to Kara's surprise and delight. They leave fairly early and though Kara is essentially powered by the sun, she's had a rough and draining week as Supergirl and reporter, so she takes advantage of the opportunity to nap in the car after ensuring Cat is set for the drive with her coffee and music selection.

A slight jostle of a firm bicep causes Kara to shake her head into awareness as she sees the town proper come into view outside the vehicle. Directing Cat to the Danvers' house is a simple enough task, involving following the ocean Norther still. When they arrive, Kara hops out of the car and collects their suitcases from the trunk before leading Cat toward the house. Eliza, as expected, came out the door before they stepped onto the porch.

"Kara," she murmurs in that soft motherly tone she always uses with the Kryptonian. "Cat," Eliza nods her head. "Good to see you again," she adds, a slight smirk or glint hiding beneath her veneer. It's no surprise to the scientist that Kara and Cat got together romantically, the chemistry between them during Myriad undeniable, the way they worked together so seamlessly was remarkable. Not counting the fact Kara raved endlessly about whatever new twat Cat has knocked down a peg, or outfit she 'wore so well it was sinful'. Kara's words, not Eliza's.

Kara and Cat get their things settled in Kara's childhood room and while Cat is changing her clothes, Kara stares at her bed biting her lip in contemplation. Coming up beside Kara, Cat gives the bed a cursory look. "What is it, dear?"

"Is it...too small? Should we bring Alex's old bed in here, push them together, give us a little more room?" Kara asks, reminded of Cat's queen sized bed in both her residences.

Cat's head tilts slightly. "No, I think we can make due. It's almost a full size mattress. We should be fine," she says, then looks at Kara and smiles.

"Hm?" Kara faces Cat only to blush and bow her head slightly. Cat leans up, brushes their lips together for a moment before sauntering past her to rejoin Eliza downstairs to lunch.

The following day, Kara takes Cat around what one might deem 'downtown' but it's really more main street considering it's a flat surface. Either way, Kara points out her favorite locales, where she and Alex got pumped up for their prom before going to the school, her favorite diner they'd eat at later and finally, hesitantly, the arcade. She knew it wasn't the cleanest or even best looking of locations but it was a nice refuge for Kara growing up in Midvale.

"So this I the arcade. This is where I would come when I felt the world was too big and complicated...sensory overload," Kara leaned into Cat to whisper those last words. "I know it seems odd coming to a loud and nosy, mostly dark arcade when overwhelmed but it actually helped because I didn't have to focus and single out a single noise or voice. I could just...relax almost, play games and found myself having fun. It's where I met Sophie actually," she smiles at remembering that encounter.

"Oh? Who's Sophie?"

Kara splutters for a moment, her cheeks reddening as her head bows slightly. "A...a friend," she murmurs. "My..." she shrugs before continuing. "...my first and only friend through high school aside from Alex once she warmed up."

Cat watched Kara carefully as they navigated around a few clumps of children. She could tell there was more to this story and she found herself a little jealous of how this mysterious Sophie affected Kara. She would bide her time and ask more questions at a later date. For all their time together, Kara had never mentioned her only other friend in life, which was surprising in and of itself considering how well liked in the office she was, the gaggle of friends she obtained to be able to host a viable Game Night consistently.

"Oh, look, Skee Ball opened up! I used to rock at this time, c'mon Cat," Kara's face lit up once more and she grabbed Cat's hand to bring her to the game. "I was super careful as a kid, afraid of throwing it too hard up the ramp and breaking something but eventually I got the hang of it and it became more of a accuracy skill in aiming. Sophie said I could clear out the old man's stock of prizes in Skee Ball tickets alone," she chuckled afterward as she aimed her first shot. "She was always better at pinball than any ticket producing games."

Several games later, mostly of Cat watching Kare decimate the scores on the Skee Ball machines and a few other joint games she got roped into, they headed to the ticket eater to determine how many they—Kara—had earned.

Cat whistled. "369, good job, Kara," she said, leaning in to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek. Kara brought her over to the prize counter.

"Anything catch your eye?" she whispered before the attendant came over. Cat shrugged.

"You know material possessions are secondary to how precious my time is and in turn getting the opportunity to spend it with those I care for," Cat said, drawing a smile from Kara's face.

"Can I help you?" the attendant asked.

"Uh...yeah. Can I get...one of those cute hippo plushies?" Kara asked, pointing up.

"What color?"

Glancing at Cat for a moment, Kara replied, "Purple, for my girl." Cat rolled her eyes as Kara chuckled into her hand, then exchanged the ticket receipt for the hippo. "Give the rest to the next kid who comes up, please," Kara said, resisting the urge to stock up on the 5 ticket candies in the glass cabinets.

Later that night, while Kara was showering before supper time, Cat approached Eliza in the kitchen and offered to help chop up vegetables and make a side dish or two.

"For some reason I didn't coin you for a homemaker type," Eliza admitted as she continued cooking the pork chops at the stove.

"One of the few things aside from CatCo I'm passionate about. It's definitely more in the realm of hobby than anything. It's relaxing even after a long stressful day I always try to cook or bake something small before settling in for the night," Cat explained. "Plus I don't want Carter to suffer my lack of cooking skills in always eating out or buying easy to make meals."

Eliza's head nodded as she recalled Cat's young son Kara often raved about. Even Alex liked him, science nerds uniting. She often forgot Cat was a parent of two.

Pausing in her prep, Cat turned around at the island to face Eliza. "What is the likelihood of Kara eavesdropping while showering?"

A moment of contemplation in silence, Eliza bobbed her head to the side briefly and then answered, "Not as likely as it would be should she be in her room or when she was younger. Why?"

Cat hesitated for a second. "What do you know of a Sophie?" she asked, unable to give more than a first name. It had been brought up multiple times throughout the day due to a memory at the place they were visiting but every time Cat tried to ask a more probing question, Kara would clam up and change the subject. Classic Kara truly, but Cat was confused as to why it was happening.

"Ah yes, Sophie. Wasn't a day gone by that name wasn't uttered in this house. She and Kara were practically glued at the hip. Couldn't go anywhere without being asked if the other could accompany us. It actually made Alex jealous a few times, which was surprising since her and Kara's relationships was so tumultuous in the beginning," Eliza said wistfully. "They went to prom together, in fact. I've the photos somewhere..." she trailed off, and pointing at the stove for Cat to watch she headed to the living room to look for the photo album.

Cat was biting the inside of her cheek as she awaited Eliza's return, flipping the pork chops and drizzling the seasoning at the bottom of the pan over the meat. So that's who Sophie was to Kara, that's why the blushing and stuttering, the shy admittances. Probably her first love, the strongest, hardest fall of all. She huffed out in annoyance and rolled her eyes. She knew her feelings were both legit and stupid at the same time. It was many years ago and they obviously hadn't seen each other in a long time or Cat would have heard Kara mentioning Sophie.

When Eliza returned she glanced at the pan before opening up the album on a clear spot of the island and gestured for Cat to join her. "Ah, here," she opened up to the prom photos.

Alex's hair was medium length and in the process of lightening up to the red it now was, an awkward look on her face as she stood stock still I her plain dark blue dress and pink carnation on her breast, Kara beside her grinning broadly in her 'princess-style', poofy pink dress and blue corsage on her wrist. Another photo showed Kara's face a tint redder than the sister photo beside a strikingly pretty curly haired blonde with her hair pulled back into a low ponytail and a tailored blue suit with a pink tie and boutonniere.

And there's the nail in the coffin.

"I'm going to go for a walk," Cat managed to speak without losing her voice to emotion. "I'll be back," she said, refraining from promising to be back before supper. Eliza tried to speak up but Cat had always breezed toward the front door and exited.

Kara finished her shower a few minutes later and came downstairs to the kitchen, looking around curiously. "Where's Cat?"

"She went for a walk," Eliza said, back to Kara.

"Why?" Kara's voice bordered on a whine before she cocked her head and noticed the page of her junior prom photos were open. Remembering Sophie had worn a tux to that event cause Kara's mouth to open in understanding. "I'll be right back!" she said.

"No super speed in the house!" Eliza tried to call out quickly but Kara was gone. Shaking her head, she smiled slightly. Same old Kara.

Cat had walked toward the beachside front the Danvers owned, where Alex would surf she was reminded in a memory of Kara talking about her sister. She was stepping down the last few steps near the sand when she felt an unnatural wind swiftly soar through her hair and fell over the front of her face. "Kara," she said a little too icily and moved past toward the beach.

"Cat, wait, let's talk."

"What's there to talk about?"

"Don't do that," Kara's voice held an edge of anger to it, not wanting to participate in this dance tonight. "Is this about Sophie?"

Cat scoffed and shook her head, wrapping her arms around her body as the ocean air cooled her. "It's obvious, Kara. You still think about her a lot even if this trip home for you is the first I've heard of her. Perhaps you should reach out and reconnect," she said quietly, aware Kara would hear no matter what.

"Cat what are you talking about?"

"Nothing compared to one's first love!" Cat ground out, brows creased in irritation.

Kara started toward Cat, but kept behind her, having a feeling she didn't want Kara to see her face, to make eye contact. "No it doesn't," she said in a fond voice, smiling at Cat's back and tousled hair.

"Maybe...we should end this."

"Wait. What?" Kara stopped in her tracks so quickly it made a noise prompting Cat to turn slightly. "Us?"

"Yeah. You're still hung up on her. I see the appeal. You should talk to Sophie," she said, looking out at the sea, jaw clenched tight to prevent herself from breaking down.

"Cat..." Kara trailed off. "Oh, Cat...you misunderstand," she said, walking toward Cat slowly. "Sophie and I never dated."

Cat turned toward Kara sharply.

"We were just friends."

"Oh."

"But maybe...I now realize she _was_ in fact my first girl crush."

"Ah."

"Cat...you're the first person I've fallen for...hard. I love you, Cat," Kara admitted, taking that last step closer to Cat and reaching out to cup Cat's cheek. Blue eyes dart between green before Kara leans in and kisses Cat sweetly.

"So...Sophie wearing a tux wasn't anything...queer?" Cat asked, leaning into Kara's body for warmth.

"Maybe, but it wasn't queer with me or Alex. We want stag, but as a group. We each had an accent for the other's outfit," Kara explained, arms around Cat's back.

"What?" Cat looked up at Kara confused for a moment.

"Alex wore blue with the pink clip on to match my dress and Sophie wore a blue suit with a pink tie. Did you miss that detail, miss Queen of CatCo?" Kara asked jokingly. Cat pouted and slapped Kara's shoulder briefly before burrowing her head in Kara's neck once more.

"It's cold out here," she mumbled. "Bring me back inside?"

"Sure. Uh but first I want to show you something," Kara whispered, getting a better grip on Cat before lifting off the ground. It was mostly dark already and suppertime so she wasn't concerned about being spotted without her suit. She noticed Eliza on the deck looking their way as she flew to town, but had a feeling she knew what was going on.

When they landed, Cat straightened and took in her surroundings. "Where are we?"

"The high school."

Cat turned around once more and gasped slightly. Before her was a brick wall painted with varying portraits and stories of various people. Looking up she noticed it said 'In Memory Of'.

"It's usually for long lasting impact alumni who have passed away, those who donated a lot for a program, made a difference and voted on by the student body at the time. But...there have been a few exceptions," Kara explained, her voice surprisingly somber.

"Some of this is your work," Cat commented as she followed Kara toward one corner of the wall.

"While I was here, there were a few alumni I got to design pieces for," she admitted. Once Cat was beside her again she pointed toward a decent chunk of wall with a border surrounding it. "There was a fire in a nearby trailer park. Nothing reported on by larger papers but the entire community fell, died," Kara gulped as she began to feel overwhelmed.

Cat's eyes widened as she spotted a particular section that looked remarkably like a three person prom photo she saw briefly before leaving the Danvers home. "Sophie lived in the trailer park didn't she?"

"Senior year," Kara whispered, tears welling in her eyes, fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Shortly after Christmas. We just began planning our prom night and then...poof. And there was nothing I could do."

"Kara..." Cat moved closer to the woman and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm sorry for needling you about Sophie earlier."

Kara shook her head. "I understand the curiosity. It's...it's only been recently I've been able to talk about her as blasé as I was with you today," she explained, taking a deep breath of Cat's salty smelling hair. "I guess it just goes to show how safe and comfortable I am with you," she grinned, trying to give herself that first push toward Sunny Danvers once more.

"Absolutely," Cat smiled back and leaned in for a chaste kiss. "I'm glad you told me about her. And thank you for walking me back from that ledge on the beach," she added.

"Always."

"I love you, Kara."

"I know."


End file.
